Who pays for basement flooding?
It will likely be increasingly difficult for home and business owners to find anyone willing to pay for basement flooding. According to the insurers’ Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, “basement flooding is one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners, municipal governments and personal property insurers across the country.” Municipalities across Canada have substantial protection against civil...
Continue reading the post titled Who pays for basement flooding?Congratulations to Peter Kent
We want to send our congratulations, best wishes and some sympathy to the Hon. Peter Kent, Canada’s new Minister of the Environment. We do agree with Jeffrey Simpson: Minister Kent has an extremely difficult job, given his leader’s staunch opposition to effective action on the major environmental issues of our day. Perhaps it is just...
Continue reading the post titled Congratulations to Peter KentEnd of slow death by rubber duck?
In 2009, we blogged about plastics that contain (and release) phthalates, plasticizers used in the manufacture of soft vinyl used in many products (https://www.siskinds.com/slow-death-by-rubber-duck/). New Phthalates Regulations under the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) were registered on December 9 2010, and will come into force on June 9, 2011. They should help reduce phthalate exposure for...
Continue reading the post titled End of slow death by rubber duck?Have an opinion on Ontario's energy future?
Ontario is asking for the public’s input on its long-term energy plan. The Ministry of Energy has posted a 10-question survey to gather feedback on a 20-year supply plan. The key issue is how to balance short-term cost increases with long-term improvements in, for example, a smarter grid and increased renewable generation. The survey also...
Continue reading the post titled Have an opinion on Ontario's energy future?Innovative thinking about water?
Diane Cunningham, director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management at the Richard Ivey School of Business organized another great forum last month on innovation for Canadian environmental issues. This year’s forum was on Water Innovation; the keynote address and panelist presentations are posted at http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/lawrencecentre/water-innovation-2011/default.htm. This is exactly the sort of thing that...
Continue reading the post titled Innovative thinking about water?A reader asks about Renewable Fuels
A reader asks: are the federal Renewable Fuels Regulations in force?
Continue reading the post titled A reader asks about Renewable FuelsMind the Gap! – WSIB Coverage for Executives
There are lots of employers in Ontario who have decided to exclude their executives from WSIB coveragein order to reduce those expensive premiums. The cost-savings can be significant but it is vital to ensure that you have the correct insurance coverage in place to pick up the slack. A recent decision of the Superior Court of Justice...
Continue reading the post titled Mind the Gap! – WSIB Coverage for ExecutivesThe Dollars and Cents of Drinking and Driving
Labour and employment lawyers often write articles at the holiday season about liability for employers arising from their social events at which alcohol is served. And many clients seek opinions or draft workplace policies on the issue. Whether the employer is seeking to manage this issue for business reasons, ethical reasons, or both, when it communicates with...
Continue reading the post titled The Dollars and Cents of Drinking and DrivingAmerican energy use in one chart
US energy policy has an outsize effect on Canadian law, regulation and policy. It’s therefore fascinating to see, in a single graph, how much of what type of energy they use, and how that changes year-over-year. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory publishes annual energy flowcharts for the US. You can find a similar diagram for...
Continue reading the post titled American energy use in one chartMumbling about climate change
As you’ve probably noticed, no one is talking about climate change in the federal election. The Ontario government is keeping the issue pretty low key too. They quietly released both their annual GHG mitigation report as well as its climate change adaptation plan and strategy with no fanfare last Thursday (just prior to the Easter...
Continue reading the post titled Mumbling about climate changeReceive Blog Posts
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